Single ply collar



y 1959 E. c. PFEFFER, JR 2,884,641

SINGLE PLY COLLAR Filed June 20} 1957 INVENTOR.

EDWARD c. PFEFFER JR.

ATT'Y United States Patent SINGLE PLY COLLAR Edward C. Pfetfer, Jr., Troy, N.Y., assignor to Cluett, leallaiody & Co., Inc., Troy, N.Y., a corporation of New Application June 20, 1957, Serial No. 666,833

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-132) This invention relates to an improvement in so-called single-ply or webbing fabric collars for shirts. More particularly, the invention provides permanent stays and associated structure across the points of such a collar in order to urge such points toward a flat, neat appearing condition.

One object of my invention is to provide biangular stays in combination with a single ply collar such that the presence of the stays and associated stay pocket structure cannot be detected when the collar is worn.

Another object of my invention is to provide a single ply collar with a single line of stitching visible on the front face of the collar in accordance with accepted fashion and style, while, simultaneously, providing permanent stays and supporting stay pocket structure of a durable and eflicient type across the points on the back face of the collar.

While single ply shirt collars made of webbing fabric have been known and used for years in the shirt industry, they recently have been enjoying a revived popularity. This apparently is because of the trend in mensfashion toward more comfortable garments and thus toward soft in preference to fused shirt collars. It also is apparently for the reason that single ply collars resist wrinkling during wear and are easy to launder. Simultaneously, the single ply collar possesses certain inherent disadvantages which have limited materially the acceptance of this collar by the purchasing public. It thus is one objective of the instant invention to overcome such inherent disadvantages thereby broadening the public acceptance of the single ply collar.

One inherent disadvantage evident to every wearer of a single ply collar is the tendency of the collar to remain in whatever position it is made to assume while it is worn. This sometimes is expressed as a lackof memory. That is to say, for example, when a single ply collar is worn by a man with a short neck, the collar points tend to curl up away from the body toward the chin. This is due both to the shortness of the neck and to the natural tendency of an individual to move the head forward when seated. Thereinafter, when the head again is raised or the man stands, the point does not snap back. Instead, the curl remains in the collar. To combat this curling or lack of memory, various suggestions have been made. These include a resin-treated collar material, single ply constructions which are extra thick and dense, and shape retaining devices which are inserted along the front margins of the collar in the seams.

The above suggested solutions to the problem have not met with success for various reasons. Resin treatments have been found to shorten the wear life of the collar. Heavy fabric weaves have not been as comfortable as desired and have not really helped solve the problem since there still is a lack of memory. Stifiening materials inserted in the front seams of the collar cause the collar points to be lifted away from the front of the shirt by the knot in a necktie. They also cause undue wear along the turned edge of the collar due to excessive bulk at that point. The problem, for all practical purposes, remains unsolved.

In view of the above, I have turned my inventive efforts toward the provision of permanent stays for single ply collars. Such stays tend to return to a flat condition after they are bent or twisted. They have a memory for the original flat configuration and impose this memory on the collar. When used in combination with the points of a single ply collar, they thus combat the major disadvantage of such a collar in that they tend to cause the points to return to a flat, neat condition after the points are curled or twisted during normal wear and usage.

Having suggested a permanent stay for a single ply collar, the problem presented has been the securing of the stays to the collar without revealing their presence and without damaging or weakening the collar itself. It thus is apparent that a pocket could be secured biangularly across the rear face of a single ply collar by stitching similar to that utilized with previous stays in multiply collars. However, the stitching which thus would be employed would of necessity show through the front face of the single ply collar. The appearance of such a collar would be strange and not in accordance with current fashion. In addition to the objection to such a construction on the grounds of appearance, fashion and style, such biangular seams would tend to induce seam shrinkage and pucker thus causing wrinkling of the collar along the seams after several launderings. Thus, biangular seams through the collar itself must be eliminated.

The instant invention provides a novel construction whereby permanent stays are secured in pockets across the back face of asingle ply collar without biangular seams. That is, the stay pockets are secured peripherally only by the stitching which secures the margins of the collar in the accepted, folded condition. Thus, the only stitching visible from the front face of the collar is the single line of marginal seam stitching. This is not objectionable since the marginal stitching is visible when no stay construction whatsoever is provided. There thus is an adherence to accepted fashion and style while, simultaneously, improving the functional characteristics of a single ply collar.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view of the back face of one-half of a completed collar made in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross section through the permanent stay and the stay pocket taken approximately on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the single ply pocket patch in folded condition so as to define the stay pocket of the instant invention, dashed lines showing the outline of the patch just prior to folding;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the structure shown in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a view of the front face of one collar point of the completed single ply collar made in accordance with the instant invention, this view revealing the hidden nature of any but the single line of marginal stitching.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the fabric from which a single ply collar is manufactured variously is referred to as webbing fabric, multiply fabric, interwoven fabric, and multiple-weave fabric. Such fabrics are composed of two or more layers of fabric secured together in the loom by tie yarns resulting in a single ply fabric of increased thickness and density. It actually is a single ply when completed.

The use of such fabric in the manufacture of shirt collars is invited because of the resistance to wrinkling, ease of laundering and semi-soft characteristics when worn.

It is a collar in which the cape portion 10 is made of such a single ply fabric which is the subject matter of the instant invention. Generally, the cape portion 10 is secured to a multiple layer neckband portion 11 by a first single line of stitching 12. As is conventional, the cape portion itself has a single free edge 14 and two symmetrical front edges, one of which is shown at 13.

Each of the edges 13 and 14 is formed by folding a marginal piece of the fabric back upon the back face of the cape portion. This is shown in Fig. 1 which is a view from the back. These edges are secured in the marginally folded relationship by a second single line of peripheral stitching 15, which stitching follows the edges and points of the collar. As is apparent, all of the edges may be completed and finished so as to resist raveling, as by an overedge stitching 16.

Turning to Fig. 3, there is shown a single ply fabric patch 17. This is a stay patch and it is cut to the particular shape shown, after which it is folded along one edge 18. The patch then is secured, in the folded relationship, by a single line of stitching 19 prior to the assembly of the patch to the collar. As can be observed in Fig. 5, the stitching 19 does not penetrate the collar fabric itself and thus is invisible from the front face of the collar.

After being folded over and during the manufacture of the collar, the patch 17 is secured in place against the back face of each end of the cape portion as shown in Fig. l. The securing of each patch in place in order to define a stay pocket is accomplished by the previously mentioned first and second lines of stitching 12 and 15. This is a peripheral securing device in accordance with the objectives of the invention and it takes place simultaneously with the securing of the margins the folded condition. Further, it will be noted that the resultant stay pocket extends biangularly from adjacent the collar point 20 to adjacent the neckband portion 11.

Within the stay pocket defined by the patch 17, a permanent stay 21 is carried. The material from which the permanent stay 21 is constructed may be any accepted material which will withstand repeated washing and wear Without deterioration. For example, the stay 21 may be cut from sheet or film polyester material, metal with spring-like characteristics, or other plastic or equivalent material. The requirement in selecting the material for the permanent stay 21, in addition to permanency, is that the stay shall tend to resume a flat, straight condition after being bent, twisted or curled. That is to say, the material must have a memory. This obvious characteristic is necessary in order to return the collar points 21 to a fiat, neat appearing condition in contrast with previous single ply collars, while yet assuring that the stay will last for the life of the collar.

One end of the completed collar is shown in Fig. 5. This figure presents a view of the front face of the collar and it will be noted that the patch and permanent stay structure are not visible. This is for the reason that only the stitching 12 and have been utilized to secure the patch in place against the back face of the collar. Since this stitching is required whether or not a stay pocket and a stay are utilized, the collar conforms to accepted fashion and style requirements, yet possesses the additional functional advantages provided by the permanent stay which is hidden from view.

In use, the described collar possesses the resistance to wrinkling, ease of laundering and like advantages of previous single ply collars. Additionally, the points of the new collar will return to a flat, neart appearing condition after being curled or twisted by normal wear because of the memory of the stay. Still further, the structure which provides these additional advantages is of minimal expense. This minimal expense extends not only to the material used in the patch and stay construction, but also to the simple method of manufacture. The simplicity, in turn, is provided by the patch-type stay pocket construction in contrast to the previously known multiple layer over all construction utilized with conventional collars and conventional stays.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials and arrangements of parts, and in the steps which have been herein mentioned, may be made by those skilled in the art, within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A single ply collar having a cape portion with front and back faces, said cape portion having two front edges joined by a free edge, said edges being folded over on the back face of said cape portion and secured by a single line of peripheral stitching which parallels said edges, and a patch secured in place against the back face of said cape portion adjacent each said front edges by said single line of stitching only, each said patch being folded over and stitched through the patch material only parallel to the fold line thus formed to define a stay pocket which extends biangularly from adjacent the corresponding collar point to said neckband portion and holds against side movement a permanent stay carried therein.

2. A soft fabric collar having a single ply cape portion with a multiple ply neckband portion secured thereto by a first single line of stitching, said cape portion having two front edges and a free edge, the latter of which is opposite to said first line of stitching and joins the front edges to form a point therebetween, said two front edges and said free edge all being folded over peripherally upon the back face of said cape portion, said folded over edges being overedged and secured in the folded relationship by a second single line of stitching paralleling said edges, and a single ply fabric patch secured in place against the back face at each end of said cape portion by said first and second single lines of stitching only, each said patch being folded over to define an elongated stay pocket and carrying a line of stitching parallel to the folded edge, said latter stitching penetrating the patch without penetrating the collar, each of said stay pockets closely encompassing and holding against side movement permanent stay, each said pocket being constructed and arranged to extend biangularly from adjacent the corresponding collar point to said neckband portion, said first single line of stitching closing one end of said stay pocket, that portion of said second single line of stitching which traverses the point of said collar closing the opposite end of said pocket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,534,562 Barker Aug. 21, 1925 1,816,119 Kurtz July 28, 1931 1,842,206 Sarandeses Jan. 19, 1932 2,070,464 Barrow Feb. 9, 1937 2,769,979 Driesbach Nov. 13, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 315,861 Italy Mar. 9, 193 

